Everything is Black
by Reno Strife
Summary: A mysterious man reunites AVALANCHE for a simple job, but things quickly get more complicated. Will the strange pasts of Cloud and this new figure bring about the destruction of everything around them?
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: This is a final fantasy 7 Fic. I don't own any of the Final Fantasy characters as much as I wish I did. Please don't sue me. This Fic will be rated R for violence, language, and what not. If you have problems with it, leave.  
  
Everything is Black  
  
Reno Strife  
  
Prologue  
  
Rain beat down against the soft earth, the splashing of the cold liquid echoing out into the night. Everything was as normal, as far as normal goes, except for the fact that a man wielding a quite long, heavy looking sword seemed to be just hanging about. And most frightening was the look upon this man's face. His decently long, dark spiked hair was jutting out in all directions, and the wind and rain didn't help out much. His eyes burned fiercely with a red tinge, although they were naturally dark as midnight. A faint scar that would go unnoticed, unless one was to look carefully, was etched across his right cheek underneath his eye. He was dressed in all black with battered upper body armor covering his shoulders and chest. He simply looked menacing.  
  
The two men that happened to be in this menacing looking man's way, sporting blue uniforms and wielded decent looking blades that would easily dispatch the regular thug off the street, looked quite tough in their own right. But it almost seemed as if they were a bit frightened, as well as they hid it.  
  
Their unnaturally shining blue eyes stared into those of the dark man. Battle was imminent; it could be felt in the air.  
  
"This is as far as you go!" one of the blue uniformed men cried out, with a slight hint of apprehension in his voice.  
  
"Yeah, I've heard that a few times..." the dark man mumbled to himself.  
  
This battle upon the open plains could not be avoided. Without warning the man dressed in all black came shooting towards his two opponents, quickly laying a barrage of attacks onto the first one he descended upon. Expectantly, the man being assaulted put up his best attempt to parry these lightning fast attacks.  
  
The clanging of metal upon metal rang out to join in with the rain, although the swords were obviously louder. By now the other blue uniformed man joined in. The man dressed in all black was a much better fighter and it showed as he sparred off with the two men, taking them both on at once. Suddenly a shrill cry bellowed from the throat of one of the blue men. His left leg was completely severed as he fell to the ground, blood pooling up onto the wet soggy earth.  
  
"Son of a bitch..." The other man that still had both of his legs attached starting running in the other direction, away from the long blade wielding, leg chopping, dark man. The dark man simply let out a loud sigh, removed a gun from somewhere behind his person and shot the retreating man in the back of the head.  
  
"This Barret guy better be worth it... I could put up with this shit back in Midgar." The dark man sneered.  
  
He was on a mission to the newly rebuilt North Corel to hire some help for his boss. He was running a little behind schedule. Being fashionably late was part of his dark charm though.  
  
He then started looking around. One man lay 10 yards away from him, with a bullet in the back of his head and another that seemed to have bled to death. "Oh god, I'm talking to myself AGAIN."  
  
He decided to stroll over to the one legged man and looked down at him. His face turned from a casual 'I'm bored look' to one of surprise. His gimp of a friend still had a little life left in him.  
  
The dying man looked up into the dark eyes above him. "You... will die for this... Draven..."  
  
Damn, these guys never say anything new... "You first..." Draven replied. He then brought his sword down into the skull of his enemy, ending his pain.  
  
Everything was black.  
  
Author's note: Great... I have no idea where im gonna go with this but hey. This is my first fic, on here anyway. Suggestions are appreciated. 


	2. Passing Happiness

Everything is Black  
  
Reno Strife  
  
Passing Happiness  
  
Barret Wallace had a one of his rare big goofy smiles upon his face. The reconstruction of North Corel was finally finished.  
  
"Oh yeh, we're gunna throw a party!" the big man bellowed.  
  
It was weird to see Barret even talking about parties.  
  
Tifa Lockheart just looked up at him with her big dark eyes. "Are you sure, Barret... don't you remember the last time you got yourself drunk?" Tifa half joked, half worried. She was always the one that had to do the worrying. Even in the old days of Avalanche and Midgar. She was always the one there as support, the most mature.  
  
While Tifa was in her own little world, Barret was in flashback mode. He remembered being at the new bar here in North Corel. He only wanted one drink... and then another. And another. The last thing could recall was being on his 11th beer, then it was morning, he had a splitting headache, and his clothes were gone.  
  
"Yeh..." Barret said, possibly to himself.  
  
Things had changed a lot since the old team had all been together down in the North Crater. They beat Sephiroth, slayed hordes of monsters, went against all odds, and it was now six months later. It wasn't really a long time. But it was long enough for things to change  
  
Cid went back home to Rocket Town to be with Shera, and of course, he finally married the woman. It sure as hell took him long enough. Yuffie went about her Materia hunting ways, but stationed herself in the Wutai area. Vincent just disappeared, being the sneaky, deadly bastard he is. Red now spends his time in Cosmo Canyon, defending it as his people have done for longer than we know.  
  
And then there was cloud. He seemed to have gone a little insane... or rather more insane. Rumor had it that he was stalking around the forests and villages of the Northern Crater. It was possible he felt Sephiroth might return or some crazy idea like that. It was obvious that Tifa was pained by the blonde headed mercenary's absence.  
  
In unison, Tifa and Barret came out of their dream-like states. Still, both of them had a lot of work that needed to be attended to even with the construction being done with. Barret was named the Mayor of North Corel and there was no way in hell Barret could run a town without the help of Tifa. He could barely take care of himself as it was.  
  
"Well... I need a shower," Barret grunted.  
  
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Draven made long strides across one of the many paths out in the grasslands in the Corel Area. He knew his way around these parts, as he'd soon be moving up into the mountains and closer to North Corel. Last time he was there, the place was a complete dump. Man, was he looking forward to hiring the help of someone that was probably wearing a trash bag as a coat.  
  
Slowly but surely, Draven was getting closer and closer to his destination. His recent battle was still fresh in his mind. The rain, the blood, the death... it all filled his senses and camped out there. It was always like that afterwards. He wasn't sure who the two men were, although he had his suspicions, and why they wanted to stop him... but it was their mistake. When he had a mission, no matter how lame it seemed, he carried it out proficiently.  
  
And this job was one of the more boring ones he received in a while. He was to meet up with a man named Barret, who happened to be an old friend of his boss, and bring him and the legendary group Avalanche back to Midgar. This could have been done over the phone, but instead he was battling his way here. He could have at least got money for a chocobo.  
  
Draven couldn't recall the days when the world was threatened by Meteor. He really couldn't remember much at all during the time he was being experimented on by a well-known psychotic scientist. So, it might be hard to recognize this Barret character, but at least he had a description of him.  
  
As Draven walked and thought about why he even bothered coming all this way, he didn't notice something looming up ahead.  
  
Of course those hunter instincts of his kicked in and he glanced up, noticing the shadow of some long formation. Breaking his train of thought, he stared over at one of the many crazy creations Shinra had come up with when they were in power.  
  
"Hojo was such a crazy fuck." Draven was the master of stating the obvious.  
  
It looked like today's menu had a 9 foot worm with tiny legs and eight eyes for us today.  
  
'Wonderful', Draven thought to himself.  
  
He wouldn't have a problem with killing this creature. It was far from human. It was nothing but a reminder of the pain filled past, like an old wound being reopened.  
  
Draven shrugged, outstretched his arm, and a bolt of lightning came raining down towards this worm shaped fiend. Sadly, he missed by about 10 feet. And he only managed to piss off this creature.  
  
"Damn... that's why they said I should practice," Draven realized.  
  
The creature was faster than he would have imagined it could be. Its tiny legs must have had some real power in them as it scurrying over and stopped just a few feet away from Draven. When he first saw this creature, he didn't notice the stinger protruding from its backside. Now it was very apparent. This was going to be a good fight.  
  
The stinger came down quickly and if it was not for Draven's excellent reflexes, he would have been gutted and served as dinner for the Worm family. Draven rolled out of the way and moved into a one knee position. He then reached behind his back, and withdrew a gun that had already killed one living being this journey. As he aimed, however, the creature reacted quicker than Draven thought possible, and knocked the gun out of his hand with its tail.  
  
Just as things were about to get messy, a loud bang echoed out and suddenly the worm with eight eyes and its cute little legs exploded into a gooey gravy-like substance. Things got messy anyway. Draven was now covered in worm goo, and was more than a little pissed off. He peered over his should and staring back at him was a... interesting character.  
  
This fellow was dressed in a black robe, wore a red cape, and had jet black hair held back with a red bandana. Just by looking at him, Draven could just feel how dangerous this man was. But the most striking thing about this gunman, which he must be... carrying a gun and all, was his brilliant cold red eyes and metallic claw.  
  
"You should be careful around here," the man stated, without any emotion.  
  
"I try," was the reply. "Draven." He offered his hand.  
  
The man, clad in black and red, simply nodded. "Vincent. Vincent Valentine."  
  
The name seemed familiar to Draven, but he shrugged it off. He had places to be, things to do, and most likely more people to kill. "I'd love to stay and chat but I have business elsewhere."  
  
"Likewise," Vincent replied, once more without any feeling showing in his cold stare.  
  
Draven noticed Vincent's inhuman demeanor. But, he was more worried about finding a shower at the moment as some part of the worm creature fell from his spiked mess of hair. Not that he wasn't grateful for the help; he liked the idea of being dinner even less than the smell now radiating off him.  
  
Plus, he still had his mission to attend to.  
  
The two equally dark men both headed their own way.  
  
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Back in North Corel, day had changed into night, the sunset bringing darkness to settle down upon the modest village. A celebration could be heard throughout the silent, empty night. Sounds of laughter and loud drunken songs were carried up by the slight wind.  
  
A stage had been set up in the middle of town and Barret stood proudly behind a podium, his daughter Marlene perched up upon his shoulders. The crowd that gathered began chanting "Speech! Speech!"  
  
Barret cleared his throat which seemed to get the audiences attention. "It's been a hard six months, reconstructing our houses and our lives... but we did it. Now I never been no good at givin' speeches... so all I can say is enjoy yer selves tonight." Barret thought about giving them a long speech, but he decided to cut himself short.  
  
The crowd erupted in applause, not that they had really been paying attention. The last thing they had to be happy about was when meteor was stopped. Then they went back to their hard, dirt lives. But now that they weren't living in tents and when you walked down the street, you wouldn't get a mouthful of dust and grime. Plus, coal was making a come back with the banning of Mako energy.  
  
Barret stepped down from the stage and started walking back towards his house. It was getting late and Marlene needed her sleep. Barret couldn't help himself from getting another one of his goofy grins on, as he saw Tifa smiling. It had been a long time since he last saw that beautiful expression upon her face.  
  
"Dad... are you okay? Your face looks all weird," Marlene said with some concern in her voice.  
  
"Aw... shaddup... yer not ver'y funny! To bed with ya."  
  
Marlene giggled and ran inside, knowing she got her old man good. Barret stood outside and chuckled. Marlene was the only reason he was still alive today, she kept him fighting to survive. He risked his life to save the planet so he could see her grow up and actually have a life. He had fought for other reasons to, for the planet, for Aeris, for his friends... but it was really Marlene that gave him his strength. Although she wasn't really his daughter, he felt like she was. And her happiness made him happy.  
  
Barret's amusement ended abruptly however, as a familiar voice interrupted his thoughts.  
  
"Sir!" a high pitched sound squeaked out from behind.  
  
'Great the annoying assistant,' Barret thought to himself  
  
"WHAT is it Morgan? Go enjoy yourself or something!" The big man half shouted, wanting to get rid of his weasel-like assistant.  
  
"There is someone that needs to see you. He looks mean."  
  
Barret turned all the way around and saw who Morgan was talking about. He did look mean.  
  
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The two men stood outside of the Wallace residence, sizing each other up, for what seemed like a few minutes, but in reality was only a few seconds. Draven found who he was looking for.  
  
"Who are you?" Barret asked first, with some hostility in his voice.  
  
"I'm a male, of the human species, but back home they call me Mr. Mysterious, all powerful superhero. What's yours biggie?"  
  
"Heh, real funy'," Barret deliberately moved his gun arm across his chest and over his shoulder.  
  
Draven just shrugged. "I was looking for the leader, not the bodyguard." The dark warrior knew Barret was the man he was looking for, but he wanted to test this guy's patience after his long journey. Plus he got attitude from him first. He damn well deserved to have a little fun.  
  
"Awright, thaz it!" Barret took a step forward, but as always Tifa came out of no where to stop the confrontation.  
  
"Now Barret, that's no way to treat a guest."  
  
"But...!" Before Barret could finish another word, Tifa raised her hand up for him to stop. It was funny to see someone of Tifa's size compared to Barret silencing him. But people just naturally did what Tifa wanted. And the woman looked like she could do some damage herself.  
  
Draven decided to chime in. "Yeah, that's no way to treat a guest!" He then directed his attention to Tifa. "And who might you be, good lady?" He added in the manners as icing on the cake.  
  
Barret fumed.  
  
Tifa just smiled another one of her lovely smiles and replied with, "Tifa... and you must be Draven, I assume.  
  
Draven hid his look of surprise. Was he wearing a name tag? Was this that chick he hooked up with back in Costa Del Sol on the way here? He was dumb for only making her a one night stand, if that was the case, because 'Tifa' was gorgeous. He shouldn't have got so wasted!  
  
"Do I know you from somewhere?" Draven asked, his cool demeanor not slipping up one bit.  
  
"Oh, no. Reeve called us on the PHS. All he said was he had one of his men, which I still assume is you, was coming with a message. And that his name was Draven." Tifa explained.  
  
Now he did wish she was the one night stand. He could have made up some story to the guys back home. He probably still would, but then none of it would have any truth to it. But, he had an image to keep.  
  
"Ah... yeah the boss likes to think we're doing secret missions, so he won't say much on a phone."  
  
Tifa missed Reeve. Although he worked for Shinra pre-meteor, he was truly a good guy. After all, when it came down to it, he was there for the battle against Sephiroth, as Cait Sith of course. He took over the company since the Shinra family line ended with Rufus. He was doing a good job, reforming the company from the inside. The first thing he did as president was ban the production of Mako.  
  
They were all silent for a couple of seconds.  
  
"Well, wat are ya here fo' then?" Barret finally joined back into the conversation, anger subsided.  
  
Draven opened his mouth to reply, probably with another comment to piss the big fellow off, when it hit.  
  
Something exploded.  
  
Author's note  
  
Wow, okay... not much action for this chapter... sorry. I promise a lot more next installment. Im still setting the story up... kinda... the ideas should come to me, I hope. It's late and I only spent 40 minutes on this so there will most likely be mistakes. I got school tomorrow so it's bed for me. Review... If ya want, this story might suck, but you can tell me so. If it doesn't and you have suggestions, or want some kinda character of yours in it, feel free to tell me. 


	3. Unnecessary Casualties

Everything is Black  
  
Reno Strife  
  
Unnecessary Casualties  
  
The explosion was close to Draven. A little too close, in fact. He managed to dodge the flying debris by dropping to the ground, which ended with him getting a mouthful of dirt. It seemed both Barret and Tifa got to meet the ground with their faces as well, as Draven looked over at the two of them. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he damn well knew it wasn't safe where they were.  
  
"C'mon, we have to move!" Draven yelled at his two new companions. Barret and Tifa didn't need to be told twice... in fact they were already on the move as the words escaped Draven's mouth.  
  
Barret's house was located closer to the edge of town, and against the mountainside. The three of them were all running towards the middle of town, as it seemed that's where the most action was coming from. But, suddenly Barret stopped dead in his tracks.  
  
"Marlene!!!" his face turned into that of a terrified father. "I can't leave her back there!"  
  
Immediately, Barret began running as fast as his strong legs could carry him. Tifa turned around and it was her turn to look terrified. Barret didn't see it coming through the trees.  
  
"Barret!!!" she screamed.  
  
Tifa knew he couldn't hear her. He had already charged up the steps and into his house. It was too late anyway. Immediately a bright red flash collided with the house, and exploded, sending bricks, wood, and belongings from the Wallace residence flying over Tifa and Draven's head.  
  
Tifa instantly dropped to her knees. She covered her head with her arms and hoped that what she saw wasn't true. When she looked back up, Barret would be running back with Marlene. She looked. She didn't get her wish.  
  
"Barret... Marlene...," she was trying to make out words but her voice suddenly stopped working. A single tear dropped from one of her big brown eyes and into the dirt below her face. She began punching the ground in anger. She was angry at herself, angry at cloud, angry at the world. She was angry about everything.  
  
As Tifa drowned in undeniable sadness, she didn't notice the man leaping from the flames behind her, his sword raised above his head. But Draven did. It was another one of the blue uniforms. Draven's blade flashed out an instant before the sword came down upon Tifa, blocking it expertly. Tifa would not join her friends on this night.  
  
Only a fraction of a second passed, between the time Draven blocked the blue man's attack, and the time it took for him to whirl his blade around, quickly severing the head of this unfortunate bastard. Tifa rolled onto her back and scurried backwards, trying to get onto her feet.  
  
"Grieve later, we still have problems." Draven said coldly. He couldn't believe what just happened either but he knew that sitting here would just get them killed.  
  
Tifa just looked up at Draven and then down at the headless body by his feet. Draven saved her... she could have been killed... but she didn't need anyone's help!  
  
Tifa managed to regain her focus for a while and swallow her pride. She owed Draven now. The two of them began running back in the direction of the town square. Tifa's eyes were still tear-streaked but through expert practice, she shoved her feelings into a little pit in her stomach. After a few short diversions, another run in with a couple of the unoriginal blue dressed figures that weren't much of a challenge, and another explosion, the two made it. They just stared as all around them, blue men battled with townspeople.  
  
Barret and Tifa had taught the able citizens of Corel how to fight and defend themselves if something like this ever happened. It seemed that it was a good idea, as the townsfolk were putting up a good fight. But they would lose soon, if Tifa and Draven didn't do something.  
  
As the two warriors were about to jump in and even things out a bit, Tifa thought she was experiencing déjà vu. Directly in front of them stood a man with long silver hair, glowing blue eyes, and quite a long sword. All around him were flames, and in the background houses were burning. And he was smiling a terrible, evil smile.  
  
'It couldn't be,' Tifa thought to herself. 'No! It was impossible!'  
  
And she was right. Upon closer inspection, this man wasn't Sephiroth. He just really looked like him. No, this man didn't even compare to the power old Seph had. You could feel the power radiating from that Angel of Death. This man didn't have the same feel, but he looked dangerous enough. Tifa glanced back at Draven and saw something that sparked her curiosity. By the look on his face, it seemed like he knew this obvious Sephiroth wannabe.  
  
"Let me handle this. Help the others." Draven said. He wasn't asking her either. He was telling her. And Tifa didn't protest.  
  
As Tifa instantly fell back and charged at the nearest man dressed with the standard blue uniform, Draven began walking towards 'Seph'. The man standing in the flames also began walking forwards, and at any moment he'd be face to face with Draven. This process seemed to take eternity. The two edged closer and closer towards each other, closing the gap between them. Only a few steps more...  
  
"Lazarus," Draven said.  
  
"Draven," came the reply.  
  
Without further conversation, both men swung their swords in the other's direction, and the steel clashed together with a loud clang. Draven leaned in, his face dangerously close to the man apparently named Lazarus. Draven just smiled. He was going to enjoy savagely killing him.  
  
Lazarus jumped backwards and Draven followed suit, imitating his opponent's tactic. With unimaginable speed, both men charged at each other, swords flashing, steel ricocheting off itself. The high burning flames that reached up into the dark night surrounded the two warriors. Draven lifted his leg up, as he parried with Lazarus, and brought his foot into his enemy's chest, knocking him backwards.  
  
"Isn't this just romantic?" Draven's mouth moved into his own evil smile.  
  
The comment seemed to have pissed off Draven's opponent for no reason, as he came back with a barrage of attacks, each one being successfully blocked by Draven's skill with the sword. Once again, Draven just kicked the man backwards.  
  
'My turn,' Draven thought.  
  
Draven swung his sword in a long circle and brought it up towards his opponent's chest. Lazarus just dodged it at the last second, and now had a real look of fear upon his face. He wouldn't give in however. He knew he had to beat Draven!  
  
Unfortunately, Draven didn't feel the need to lose this night, and his attacks began wearing Lazarus down. "Only a matter of time, fucker," Draven egged him on. He wanted him to feel shame before he died. He could keep this up all night if he wanted.  
  
And at least half the night the battle did continue. All around Draven and Lazarus was the ferocious battle of the townspeople and the blue uniformed soldiers fighting each other, neither side gaining anymore ground. Tifa was keeping things equal. And no one dared to interrupt the battle Draven and Lazarus were locked in. At the moment it seemed like suicide as the two had been exchanging attacks and equally defending themselves. Until one of Draven's attacks came dangerously close.  
  
Draven's sword was knocked away at the last second, as Draven almost came in contact with Lazarus's neck.  
  
He would make this man feel real pain. Maybe he would keep him alive and torture him. He wouldn't lose like last time. These thoughts were racing through Draven's head as his sword met the back of Lazarus's leg when Draven spun around him. Lazarus collapsed to the ground, and Draven raised his sword back behind his head, ready to bring it down onto him.  
  
Draven wanted it to end. He needed it. And the end was finally here. He would pay Lazarus back for his pain. He would...  
  
Draven felt pain in his shoulder. In fact, he felt the bullet inside his shoulder. Slowly he turned around and saw a blue uniform with a gun in his hand. Instantly, Draven's own gun was in his hand and a bullet was fired from the chamber in a cloud of smoke. The blue man fell to the ground with a bullet through his forehead. He laid there in a crumpled heap in the dirt. Draven quickly spun back around, feeling a presence behind him.  
  
But it wasn't fast enough. All Draven got was a sword in the gut. Lazarus stood in front of him, holding the hilt of this sword. And he smiled. Draven was face to face with his worst enemy. He was defeated too.  
  
Suddenly, Lazarus grabbed Draven's collar and pulled him closer so that their heads were right by each other's, and in the process the sword drove deeper into Draven's stomach. He only felt cold. Lazarus's mouth was by Draven's ear and he began whispering.  
  
"Poor little Draven... after all that swearing vengeance upon me... after you held your dying mother in your arms... after all that... you couldn't beat me. You failed her Draven. You were always a failure. Nothing more."  
  
These words would mean nothing to anyone but Draven. They hurt worse than the sword impaled all the way through him.  
  
Lazarus quickly pulled the blade from Draven's stomach and let the dark man fall to the ground. Draven simply laid there staring up at nothing. Blood pooled up around his body. He felt the life draining from him... he always thought he'd hate dying. But now that it was really happening... it wasn't so bad. At least he got to experience one last sun rise.  
  
And the sun began to rise.  
  
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Tifa flung one of the blue clad men over her shoulder, and to the ground, then placed her foot on the side of his face and pulled up on his arm, executing him efficiently. She thanked Zangan everyday for training her to defend herself. She didn't need some 'big strong man' to come rescue her.  
  
Suddenly a voice rose above the cries of the death.  
  
"People of Corel, you are outnumbered! Surrender now and maybe you will be spared."  
  
For the first time, Tifa stopped concentrating on the battle and looked over where she and Draven parted. She saw Draven lying in a pool of his own blood, with a cold deathly stare upon his face. So many people she knew died today... and it was these bastards' fault! But she did take note that they were outnumbered. Many of her fellow citizens laid dead around her, including Barret and Marlene, somewhere out there in the ruins of town. They were her family. And now she was alone in this fight.  
  
The townspeople that were still alive were beat and were already laying down their weapons. They were all going to die now. And Tifa could do nothing about it.  
  
"That's right... now... you will not have to suffer anymore. Instead... your lives will end quickly!" Tifa's suspicions were confirmed by this Sephiroth wannabe.  
  
"Shoot them all... except that one," Lazarus pointed at Tifa. "Bring that one to me."  
  
The blue suited soldiers began lining the townspeople up against one of the few remaining walls in North Corel. An early morning fog settled down upon the ruins of the village. It had taken all that time reconstructing their great town... and in a single night it had all been crushed.  
  
Two of Lazarus's henchmen began dragging Tifa towards their boss, keeping Tifa's arms behind her back. All Tifa could do was scream at them. She'd rather be shot along with the villagers than go with Lazarus. She could only imagine what he wanted with her. Nothing she would give him was the only certain thing.  
  
Tifa was only 10 yards away from the silver haired murderer, when suddenly the two goons let go of Tifa's arms. They both just fell over. And two small bullet holes were in the back of their heads. No one heard any gun shot.  
  
"What the hell...," Lazarus started but the cry of one of the soldiers drowned him out.  
  
All they saw were large black wings, and one man pulled up into the air. There wasn't one person not looking up into the foggy sky. Everyone was silent... everyone looking for one sign of disturbance in the grey soup above them.  
  
Suddenly everyone jumped as the shredded body of the soldier dropped from the sky and landed with a deafening smack behind Lazarus. Then silence. Then the sounds of the soldiers' guns were heard, as they all began shooting up into the air. No one said a word, only the sound of whizzing metal into the silent morning. Little did they know, all they were doing was wasting their bullets.  
  
Without any warning the giant black winged monster descended down upon the soldiers, and outstretched its wings to their fullest. Things weren't so silent anymore. The screams of men were heard all around as all hell broke loose, literally. This was no ordinary creature. It was the demon known only as Chaos.  
  
Lazarus started backing away.  
  
Blue dressed men went flying everywhere as they tried to run away. No one could escape the terrible wrath of this demon. Soon there was nothing left but a pile of bodies. All of them were blue soldiers. The demon turned and faced Lazarus. He, and his small band of soldiers left, stopped backing away. The black demon let out a low snarl then spread its wings lifting off, upwards into the thick grey fog from where it came.  
  
For a second Lazarus felt relieved.  
  
But his relief ended, when a black and red cloaked figure dropped back down from the foggy sky. He crashed into the hard earth, dust carrying up into the air. He peered up at Lazarus with his burning red eyes.  
  
"Vincent!" Tifa, who had just stood by and watched the destruction of the blue soldier forces, somehow forgot about Vincent's more... demon-like side. She sprinted over to her dark companion and gave him a big hug.  
  
"I'm glad you missed me," Vincent stated.  
  
"I've never been happier to see you, Vince...,"  
  
Lazarus sure as hell knew who Vincent was. He had never seen him before, but his reputation was infamous. Even before he helped stop Meteor, he was known as the fearless Turk. He was definitely a force to be reckoned with. And Lazarus and his now small band were in no shape to fight him.  
  
And it was obvious as they took off, back towards whatever transported them to North Corel in the first place.  
  
"Hey, they're getting away!" Tifa yelled, and took and a step forward to give chase.  
  
Vincent's hand shot out and grabbed her arm. Tifa just gave him a look that said 'If you don't get your hand off me I'll kick your ass.' But Vincent was oblivious to her emotions.  
  
"We have other matters to attend to. Like him," Vincent pointed to Draven's body. "We can deal with them later."  
  
Tifa slowly moved towards Draven. She immediately noticed the stab wound through his stomach. He looked dead. His face was pale and his eyes were closed.  
  
"Oh god... is he... is he dead?" Tifa asked, not taking her eyes away Draven.  
  
Vincent knelt down beside Draven's limp form. He pressed his hand against Draven's wrist. He felt nothing. He shook his head and then moved his hand up to his neck. And there it was... a faint pulse.  
  
"He's still alive. Barely," Vincent explained. "You wouldn't happen to have a Cure Materia would you?"  
  
Tifa just shook her head. The weapons and Materia she did keep around in her home were lost in the ruins of the town. She couldn't handle anyone else dying today. They needed to do something and quick.  
  
"I have one back in my car." Vincent didn't think to bring it along; he wasn't really the type that got injured bad enough to need a cure.  
  
Tifa suddenly broke down crying. She couldn't handle anymore. She experienced enough death for one day. Vincent looked up at her and for once, his eyes looked as if they had some sorrow in them. Vincent did care for Tifa and how she felt even though when it came to human emotions, he wasn't very experienced. He wasn't sure how to make her feel better. So he just gave it a shot.  
  
"We'll get him there. Don't worry." Vincent said, trying to muster up his best version of a comforting voice. It came out weird.  
  
Tifa gave a little smile but it quickly disappeared, as tears still continued to flow down her face. Vincent was actually trying to make her feel better. She thought she'd seen it all. "Vince... Barret... he...," Tifa looked down at her feet. "He tried to save Marlene but the house... the house... Barret's dead!"  
  
Tifa started crying uncontrollably.  
  
"The hell I am!" A voice boomed out from behind Vincent and Tifa.  
  
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Tifa spun around quickly and looked up. Barret stood in front of her; he was covered in ash and dirt. He looked drained and a little roughed up.  
  
"Barret!!!!" Tifa screamed. She ran over and gave Barret the biggest hug she had ever given anyone. It actually kind of hurt the big man.  
  
"Okay Tif, enuff of that. I think I broke a rib or something."  
  
"Where's Marlene?" Tifa asked, looking worried once more.  
  
Barret didn't know.  
  
"I... she wasn't inside. I don't know where she is."  
  
Tifa still worried but she knew there was a chance Marlene was alright. "We'll find her Barret. She's smart, I think she's okay."  
  
Barret just nodded. He wasn't completely sure. But he hoped she was.  
  
For the first time, the three old friends noticed the crowd of surviving Corel citizens that gathered around them. They all looked pretty banged up and scared. And it was justifiable, they saw a lot of things that you only read about in books all in one day.  
  
One of the villagers spoke up, directing his question at Barret. "What do we do now? Our homes... destroyed..."  
  
Barret shook his head. "Get yer asses to Rocket Town. That's where I told Marlene to go if things ever went bad. A guy named Cid lives there. He'll suit you up at the Inn. And if any of ya see Marlene..."  
  
"We'll keep an eye out for her, Barret," another one of the citizens spoke up.  
  
"Yeh... thanks."  
  
And with that the townspeople began walking to the mountain path that would take them to Rocket Town. They left behind them, their destroyed homes and dead family.  
  
Tifa turned back to Barret. "How did you get out of..."  
  
Vincent joined back in, cutting Tifa off. "It's good to see you Barret. But this man is dying so I suggest we get him back to my car."  
  
"You have a ca... okay whatever. Give em' here." Barret walked over to Draven's unconscious body, and lifted him up over his shoulder with ease. Although Barret was in some pain, he could tell this young guy wouldn't make it if they didn't get him help, and quickly.  
  
"Lead the way." Barret said.  
  
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Lazarus and what was left of his group of blue uniformed men climbed into their transport vehicle. Lazarus gazed down at the town they had laid waste to through the night. The smoldering ruins looked so insignificant from all the way back here. An evil smiled crept across his face. At least they accomplished the mission. His master will be very happy when he finds out.  
  
"Let's go," Lazarus muttered as he climbed into the back of the vehicle with the rest of his men.  
  
"You heard him driver, get a move on!" A man named Richie yelled up towards the front of the vehicle. The only difference that separated this man from the rest of the soldiers was his Officer cap. He served as second in command to Lazarus.  
  
Faithful, faithful Richie. Lazarus liked them unquestionably loyal. He wanted his men to be willing to die in order to carry out his every whim. If he wanted the bandana off Vincent's head, Richie would gladly serve the order out, even if it was suicide. And that's why he served directly under Lazarus.  
  
The only problem with good Richie was his infinite curiosity. "What now, sir?"  
  
Lazarus shifted in his seat as the vehicle bounded down the road, headed back to Midgar. He wasn't in the mood for questions but if it made his inquisitive commander shut up, he'd give him what he wanted. First, however, Lazarus let out a long sigh. "I already told you... we're going back to Costa Del Sol and taking the boat back home."  
  
It was much easier getting to Midgar now, with the new port built off the western shores. At least the idiots down at the 'new Shinra' did something helpful to his master's cause.  
  
"I mean... about that Vincent character. Won't Avalanche come looking for us now?" Richie continued with his questions.  
  
Lazarus let out another sigh. He had to explain everything. "They'll do what we want." Lazarus looked down at little Marlene tied and gagged on the floor of the transport vehicle. "They'll do what we want, or they'll be sorry. Very sorry."  
  
Author's note:  
  
The plot thickens... I don't think anyone is reading this but at least I'm having fun writing this! If there are some readers out there, feel free to review. I'll know I'm not alone. I need someone to come up with a really annoying character I can kill off... that would bring me such happiness. 


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